Project saw construction of a facility turning residual energy into electricity at plant.

The work on Manhattan highlights Cepsa’s technical innovation and drive for operational excellence at its plants.

Cepsa’s technical innovation and drive for energy efficiency at its Bécancour chemicals plant in Canada were recognized last week when it won the Energia Prize from Québec’s AQME association.

The award, in the ‘Industrial Process, production’ category, went to Cepsa’s ‘Manhattan Proyect’, and was presented to Pierre Lahaie, General Manager of the plant and a delegation of coworkers from Bécancour. There were four finalists in the category. Cepsa’s Canada plant produces LAB which is used in the production of detergents.

The project saw the construction of a new facility turning residual energy in the plant in the form of iso-butane into electricity, helping it to significantly reduce its electricity needs. ‘Manhattan’ took from September 2013 until March 2015 to complete, and now provides 60% of all of the electricity needs at the plant.

The project has also helped to reduce production costs by CAD$1.7 million a year at a plant that could produce enough electricty to supply 1,000 Canadian houses.

The construction of the plant took 30,000 man hours to complete, which were carried out with no work accidents, showing the importance of safety in Cepsa’s work.

The Manhattan Project was the largest investment made by Cepsa at its site since it was established in 1995.

The Energia Gala is an annual ceremony organized by AQME (Association Québécoise pour la Matrise de l’Energie) to recognize technical innovation in the energy sector and this year was attended by around 1,000 people.

Cepsa is an energy group fully owned by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) that employs more than 10,000 people and operates at every stage of the hydrocarbon value chain: exploration and production of oil and gas, refining, distribution and marketing of crude oil and natural gas derivatives, biofuels, co-generation and electricity sales.

Cepsa has developed an important chemicals division that is closely integrated with the refining business, and that produces and markets the raw materials for high value-added products, principally used to make next generation plastics and biodegradable detergents. Cepsa has a leading position in Spain and, through the progressive international expansion of its business, also operates in several continents and markets its products across the world.